An underwater landscape hitherto hidden in the darkness of the abyss of the Gulf of Naples has been brought to light by a team of Italian researchers. The discovery concerns a large, ancient and incredibly extensive coral reef, located over 500 meters below the surface of the sea, right in the center of the Dohrn Canyon.
The discovery occurred as part of the scientific expedition called “Demetra”, underway on the Gaia Blu research vessel of the National Research Council (CNR). The initiative was coordinated by the Institute of Marine Sciences of the CNR (Cnr-Ismar), with the contribution of scientific personnel from the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, the Polytechnic University of Marche and the Federico II University of Naples.
The structure of the “white” cliff
The exploration, conducted through the use of a remotely controlled underwater vehicle (ROV), revealed the presence of structures that develop along a vertical wall of over 80 meters. The bioconstructions, some of which exceed two meters in width, are composed of deep-sea hard corals, often known as “white corals” due to their peculiar absence of pigmentation. The prevalent species identified are Desmophyllum pertusum And Madrepora oculata.
Giorgio Castellan, researcher at the Cnr-Ismar of Bologna and head of the campaign’s mission, underlined the uniqueness of the discovery for Italian waters: “Bioconstructions of this species of such magnitude had never been observed in the Dohrn Canyon and rarely elsewhere in our Mediterranean”. The scope of the discovery, according to Castellan, is fundamental for increasing understanding of the ecological role of these habitats and their distribution, crucial elements for the implementation of effective protection and restoration strategies.
The newly discovered reef is not only important for the impressive colonies of white corals. In fact, it hosts a marine community of extraordinary richness and biodiversity. In addition to the dominant corals, researchers have documented the presence of black corals, solitary corals, sponges and other species that are of great ecological importance to the deep ecosystem.
As explained by Frine Cardone, researcher at the Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, the exploration returned “the image of a deep marine ecosystem of extraordinary scientific interest and naturalistic value”. The investigations revealed that the structural richness of the reef is enriched by species whose distribution in the Mediterranean is limited to a few sites, such as the bivalve Acesta excavata and the deep-sea oyster Neopycnodon zibrowii.
But the uniqueness of the site does not stop with the living communities. The walls of the canyon also contain important fossil traces. Extensive fossil aggregations of Neopycnodon zibrowii and other ancient corals and oysters. These testimonies represent true geological “snapshots” of a remote past, capable of offering precious paleoecological information on the evolution of the Dohrn Canyon over time.
The impact on marine conservation
The extraordinary discovery significantly strengthens the attention and scientific value attributed to the Dohrn Canyon and the entire Gulf of Naples in the field of marine conservation. The canyon is in fact a pilot site for important European initiatives dedicated to the restoration of deep ecosystems damaged by human activities.
Among these projects, the European LIFE DREAM project stands out – coordinated by Federica Foglini of the Cnr-Ismar of Bologna – and the European REDRESS project, under the guidance of Roberto Danovaro, full professor of the Polytechnic University of Marche. The discovery of this new, vast coral reef, underlines Foglini, “strengthens the value of the projects in this canyon and in the Gulf of Naples, and offers us new opportunities to restore vitality to a fragile and extraordinary heritage”.
The importance of the site for the conservation of marine biodiversity is such that, as part of the LIFE DREAM project, the proposal was made to establish the Dohrn Canyon as a new protected area within the European Natura 2000 ecological network. A step which, following this exceptional revelation, appears increasingly urgent and necessary to protect the integrity of a natural treasure that has emerged from the depths of our sea.
